Irish White Cross to the rescue, early 1900s

[smcarberry]

While reading old newspaper accounts of Irish events, it is very usual to see articles on monetary aid flowing from Irish-American organizations to various Irish causes in the 1800s. It is apparent how concerned people of Irish descent were with the welfare of those back in Ireland. Not only were there vigorous campaigns to acquire donations but newspapers found those efforts newsworthy, and thus there is an enduring record of American generosity toward the old country. Through those articles it is possible to chronicle the many instances when calamities struck various parts of Ireland, in the era before there was a national government with programs of aid.

The attached images are from a digitized book detailing the efforts of the Irish White Cross to alleviate suffering experienced from the events of Ireland's struggle to form its own government in the early 1900s. The reading goes far beyond an account of military events and delves into losses suffered by people all over the island. The magnitude of the loss necessitated a massive amount of funds to flow from overseas sources. This book shows those sources. For further reading, here is the link:

Report of the Irish White Cross to 1922
http://archive.org/stream/reportofirish ... 7/mode/2up

As a side note, I have to comment on my own effort since January, 2012, to find a similar source of assistance for reconstruction of Ireland's 19th-century buildings of historical significance. As visitors, we of Irish descent love to see those lovely edifices when we travel to the island. What people don't realize is that many such buildings are very dilapidated to the point of ruin, and there is no national program to ensure their continued existence. If a community wants to save its best historical architecture, it takes years of effort with continual local fundraising and occasional financial assistance from two or three Irish sources. When that is not enough, that's it -- reconstruction stalls and the building is not available to meet the currents needs of the community. As part of a village's fundraising committee, I have gotten out the word to Irish-American organizations and to U.S. businesses owned or controlled by Irish-Americans. The response has been zilch. It is also evident that U.S. foundations and corporate giving campaigns are all oriented to more pressing global issues. If any reader of this posting has an idea of what next to do for funding from a non-governmental source for renovation of a rural Irish historical building, kindly let me know. For your own donation, please use the community's website with its PayPal button: http://kilkishen.com/ Any donation not only helps us reach our goal of full renovation, but it also is a showing of support, sorely needed after so many local efforts and yet we are still about $50,000 short. It is a wonder to me that Irish-Americans of the last century were so supportive and now there is nothing left of that fine spirit.

Sharon Carberry
Georgia

Irish White Cross 1922 donations, expenditures.jpg (39.82 KiB) Viewed 4679 times

Irish White Cross reconstruction recipients by county.jpg (31.52 KiB) Viewed 4679 times

Irish White Cross source of donations.jpg (52.56 KiB) Viewed 4679 times